Cooking with an Eco-Friendly Solar Oven

Solar ovens are currently on the rise, as people are beginning to realize how convenient it is to get the fuel for your oven directly from the sun. There are four main types of solar ovens you can choose from, but all of them work in a similar way: by trapping light particles, called photons, inside of reflectors that use them to convert them to heat. This heat then, of course, cooks your meal. And literally, all you need is the sunlight to get your meal of choice that day cooked to a fine crisp. They’re also really great to use in areas where you aren’t allowed to have open flames, as they don’t actually produce any flames. Just the heat from the sun on panels cooks your food! Keep reading to learn about the different types of solar ovens.

Box Ovens

When people think of a solar oven, this is usually what they think of (if they have ever thought of having a solar oven at all). They are called that because they are literally shaped like a box. They’re also usually the larger of these solar ovens, thus making them ideal if you’re cooking for a large number of people or if you want to cook multiple different meals at the same time. They also cook slowly, meaning they’re great for anything that needs to be slowly simmered, quickly nuked in the microwave, or cooked at a reasonable pace in the oven.

Parabolic Ovens

Parabolic ovens are also often referred to as curved concentrator ovens. This is because they create a large amount of heat concentration due to their curved (or parabolic) shape that allows them to cook your food a lot faster. The round shape directs the heat towards the center base, which is where the food is. They get up to very high temperatures, making them ideal for frying, grilling, or even popping popcorn at a fast pace.

Solar Panels

The solar panel oven combines the parabolic and box ovens together into one super solar oven. They have the same panel boxy shape as the box oven, but instead of being in a literal box, the panels are placed in a curved manner. These are the cheapest of the ovens, as they are extremely easy to make in the warehouse. They are best for slow cooking meals and for roasting.

Evacuated Tube Ovens

These are the newest of the solar ovens, and therefore, are fairly unknown to most people. These ovens are perhaps the most ideal, however, because they work well even when it’s a cloudy day. These solar-powered ovens use glass tubes that are between reflector panels to heat up your meals. Because of the unique way these ovens trap in heat, they are able to get all the way up to 554 degrees Fahrenheit, making them a top contender when it comes to getting your food heated up to any temperature you need! They’re also not very expensive, costing around as much as the box ovens, and typically are less expensive than even those.

Save the Environment in More Ways Than One

A solar oven is great for the environmentally conscious, as you’ll not only be using green, renewable energy to heat up your food, but you’ll also be avoiding the common tragedy of accidentally setting fire to a wooded area. Heat up your food and help the environment all at once!

Want to learn more about bringing solar energy into your everyday lifestyle? Check out the HahaSmart blog!

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